Health Care Law Meets Mixed Reaction In Greenburgh

GREENBURGH, N.Y. – The Supreme Court’s historic ruling Thursday to uphold President Barack Obama’s health care plan was met with mixed reactions in Greenburgh.

“I think it’s a good thing,” Andrea Salas said outside the Greenburgh Health Center. “A lot of people cannot pay for their doctor’s bills. It’s needed.”

Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts announced the 5-4 majority judgment early Thursday morning.  The decision means the overhaul of medical care will continue to go into effect over the next several years.

As a result, the way millions of Americans receive and pay for their personal medical care is likely to be affected.  Deyanira Farber said she was concerned this was another example of government extending its control into the personal lives of many Americans.

“My problem is that the government consistently oversteps its boundaries into every aspect of our lives,” she said.

A major debate surrounding the law centered on the individual mandate, a requirement that Americans have health care insurance or risk paying a penalty. In its judgment, the court ruled that the mandate was allowable as a tax, under power that the Constitution grants to Congress.

In Greenburgh, some wondered what that meant moving forward.

“I’m worried that now our government can force us to buy any product from the time we are born and call it a tax,” Crystle Craig said.

Regardless, the decision gives the president, who staked much of his first term on the passing of the plan, a landmark victory in an election year. Salas said she thought it would give the president a boost come November.

“It certainly can’t hurt,” she said. 

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